'I don't want to go into hedgehog mode at 4pm this winter'

"I'm dreading this next weekend because the clocks are going back and it will be very difficult," says 73-year-old Jenny Barrie - one of the people to loan a "Wintering Well" box from Harrogate Library in a bid to help her through the coming winter months.

As we all prepare for the clocks to go back an hour this weekend, Jenny says the darkness of the season often causes her to feel down and lose motivation, but with the help of the contents of the box, she says she hopes this year will be different and she can beat the winter blues.

Hers is one of 150 free kits library users will be able to borrow in North Yorkshire following the clock change, with each box including a therapeutic light lamp, a guidebook with tips on creating a new winter routine and a free online course helping users tackle the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

"I've never been diagnosed with it [SAD], but I'm convinced I am affected by it because I feel instantly down in the winter as soon as the dark nights come," Jenny explains.

She says she felt "cheated" this summer, due to spending most of her time behind her curtains due to the long spells of sunshine and hot weather.

"I'm 73. It was difficult to go outside because I'm not very good in the heat - and then summer was over," she says.

So, when the chance came to get early access to one of the kits, Jenny, who chairs Bedale Community Library, jumped at the chance.

"I haven't used it for very long, only for about 10 days, but I think it's helping enormously," she says.

"It's partly the motivation that when I wake up in the morning, at about six o'clock, I have a kettle in my bedroom and make some tea, and now I put the light on.

"I'm really focusing myself to think about what I should be doing, that I've actually got to try harder. I can't sit there and be pathetic about how bad I feel."

Jenny has set herself goals for throughout the winter to keep motivated, which is encouraged in the guidebook contained in the Wintering Well kit.

"I want to try harder to not go into hedgehog mode at four o'clock in the afternoon," she laughs.

"I swim about four or five times a week and I thought I might try going swimming late one afternoon.

"I also thought I might try and learn something new like playing chess, because I've never done that."

According to figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, more than one million people in the UK are estimated to live with SAD during the winter months as a result of reduced access to natural light.

The Wintering Well boxes were developed by researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in consultation with people who experience symptoms of SAD during the shorter and darker days of winter.

Prof Hester Parr, from the University of Glasgow, attended a launch event at Harrogate Library on Wednesday.

"Although most of us feel a bit gloomy in winter, there's a proportion of people for whom this is really profound," she explains.

"Every autumn and winter when the light is less strong, it kickstarts a feeling of low mood and for some people that progresses into a really kind of problematic depression which affects every aspect of their lives."

Parr says that with the resources in the boxes, people will be guided to "take ownership of the winter season" by making small and manageable changes to their thinking and practices.

A total of 16 public library services across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will share 600 of the boxes this year, with North Yorkshire being the first and only library service in England to loan out the kits.

Jenny says she certainly hopes her own kit will lead to some improvements during the coming winter months.

"Hopefully, come March, I will feel much better," she says.

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